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Statement From Senator Krueger On International Women's Day

New York – State Senator Liz Krueger released the following statement today in recognition of International Women's Day:

"On International Women's Day I stand in solidarity with those fighting to address the rights and needs of all women everywhere, particularly those participating in A Day Without A Woman and the International Women's Strike. If I thought I could trust the men in the Legislature not to make even more of a mess of things up here, I would be joining the strikers; but for the sake of 20 million New Yorkers, I can't take that risk.

"In my lifetime, women have fought for and achieved tremendous victories in the battle for equality and social justice. But the gains from many of those victories were not shared evenly across race, class, and geographic boundaries -- and now all those gains are under attack in ways we haven't seen for a generation.

"The newly-revealed Republican plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act is a perfect example. In order to give massive tax breaks to the rich, the Republican plan piles on to the struggles of working women by gutting the Medicaid expansion, defunding Planned Parenthood, removing requirements for coverage of birth control and perinatal care, and outlawing subsidies for plans that cover abortion. Under their plan, women will be punished for working, not working, using birth control, not using birth control, giving birth, and choosing not to give birth.

"Enough is enough. It's time for New York State to draw a line in the sand and take concrete action to make the promise of equal rights for women a reality. That means, for starters, passing the Reproductive Health Act and the Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act. It means ensuring that all New Yorkers have access to quality healthcare and affordable housing; it means a living wage, equal pay, and paid family leave for all workers, and a decent education for all students.

"The theme of this International Women's Day is 'be bold for change.' I call on all of my colleagues in the legislature to take this to heart, listen to the women of this state, and be bold for the change New Yorkers need."